MCP Server Template: Building Reliable and Scalable MCP-Compatible Servers in TypeScript

Overview: What is MCP Server Template?

The MCP Server Template provides a comprehensive foundation for developing Model Context Protocol (MCP) compatible servers, allowing developers to integrate their tools seamlessly into AI applications such as Claude Desktop, Continue, and Cursor. This template leverages TypeScript, ensuring robust type safety and maintainability while offering advanced features like container-based dependency injection and service-oriented architecture.

🔧 Core Features & MCP Capabilities

Full TypeScript Support

The template is designed with full TypeScript support from the ground up, making it easier to manage complex data structures, interfaces, and handlers. This ensures that your codebase remains clean, easily understandable, and maintainable over time.

Container-based Dependency Injection

This feature allows for modular development by encapsulating individual components and services as separate containers. Each tool or service can be developed independently without impacting others, promoting a highly decoupled architecture.

Service-based Architecture with DataProcessor Interface

The template adopts a service-oriented architecture centered around the DataProcessor interface, enabling consistent and reliable data processing pipelines for various tools. This design facilitates easy updates to specific components without affecting the entire system.

Example Tool Implementation with Tests

By providing an example tool implementation complete with tests, users can quickly understand how to start building their own tools while ensuring they maintain high-quality standards through robust testing practices.

Vitest Testing Framework

Vitest is a lightweight yet powerful testing framework tailored for modern JavaScript applications. It supports incremental rendering and supports both unit and integration tests, making it an ideal choice for comprehensive test coverage.

Type Definitions

Type definitions are included to provide clear guidelines on the expected input and output types of your tools, enhancing code readability and reducing potential bugs.

MCP SDK Integration

The template seamlessly integrates with the Model Context Protocol (MCP) SDK, allowing developers to easily define and expose their tools according to the protocol requirements. This ensures compatibility across different AI applications that support MCP.

⚙️ MCP Architecture & Protocol Implementation

At its core, the MCP architecture revolves around the concept of standardized interaction between AI applications and data sources/tools through a well-defined protocol. The provided template takes meticulous care in implementing this protocol, ensuring seamless communication between the client and server.

Protocol Flow Diagram

Below is a visual representation of the MCP protocol flow diagram:

graph TD
    A[AI Application] -->|MCP Client| B[MCP Protocol]
    B --> C[MCP Server]
    C --> D[Data Source/Tool]
    style A fill:#e1f5fe
    style C fill:#f3e5f5
    style D fill:#e8f5e8

Data Architecture Diagram

To fully understand the data architecture, consider the following diagram:

graph LR
    subgraph AI Application [AI Application]
        A[Initiate Request] --> B(MCP Client)
    end
    subgraph MCP Server [MCP Server]
        C[MCP Protocol Handler] -- Process --> D(Response Preparation)
        D --> E[Data Source/Tool]
    end

🚀 Getting Started with Installation

To get started, follow these steps:

Development Setup

Install Dependencies
```
npm install
```
Start the Development Server
```
npm run dev
```
Build the Project
```
npm run build
```
Run Tests
```
npm test
```
Start the Production Server
```
npm start
```

💡 Key Use Cases in AI Workflows

Real-time Data Processing for Financial Analysis

Imagine a financial analyst using an MCP-compatible tool to fetch real-time stock data and perform detailed analysis on the server side. This example showcases how the template can be used to build robust, scalable solutions that enhance user experience by offloading processing tasks from the client.

Language Translation Service for Global Communication

Developing a language translation service where text is sent from an AI application, processed through an MCP-compliant server, and translated before being returned. This use case highlights the template’s ability to handle complex, asynchronous operations seamlessly.

🔌 Integration with MCP Clients

The MCP Server Template supports integration with various MCP clients, offering full compatibility with Claude Desktop, Continue, Cursor, and more. The table below outlines MCP client support details:

MCP Client	Resources	Tools	Prompts	Status
Claude Desktop	✅	✅	✅	Full Support
Continue	✅	✅	✅	Full Support
Cursor	❌ (Tools Only)	✅	❌ (Prompts Limited)	Tools Only

📊 Performance & Compatibility Matrix

To ensure optimal performance and compatibility, consider the following matrix when integrating this MCP server template into your project:

Tool Capability Level	MCP Client
High	Claude Desktop, Continue
Medium	Cursor
Low	Unsupported

🛠️ Advanced Configuration & Security

MCP Configuration Sample

Below is a sample MCP configuration snippet for the template:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "exampleTool": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-example"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Example Security Configuration

To enhance security, consider implementing access controls and secure token management:

// example in TypeScript
import { createServer } from 'http';
import { parseRequestHeaders } from '@modelcontextprotocol/utils';

const server = createServer((req, res) => {
  const headers = parseRequestHeaders(req.headers);
  
  if (!headers.authToken || !isValidAuthToken(headers.authToken)) {
    return res.writeHead(401).end();
  }
  
  // Proceed with logic
});

server.listen(port, () => console.log(`Listening on port ${port}`));

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: How do I ensure my tool is compatible with different MCP clients?

A: Ensure your tool adheres to the protocol specification detailed by MCP and test thoroughly across supported clients like Claude Desktop and Continue.

Q: What are some best practices for managing state between client and server requests?

A: Use session management or context passing mechanisms provided by the MCP SDK to maintain consistent state across multiple requests.

Q: How can I secure my MCP Server against unauthorized access?

A: Implement robust authentication (e.g., JWT tokens) and authorization checks at each API entry point.

Q: Can I integrate multiple tools/services into a single server instance?

A: Yes, combine multiple tools or services using the DataProcessor interface and register them in the server configuration.

Q: Is it easy to transition an existing tool to use MCP protocol?

A: The template provides clear guidelines on how to adapt existing codebases. Follow the example structure closely for a smoother integration process.

👨‍💻 Development & Contribution Guidelines

To contribute to the MCP Server Template:

Fork the Repository

Clone Your Copy

git clone https://github.com/your-username/mcp-server-template.git
cd mcp-server-template

Make Changes and Add New Features
Commit, Test, and Push
Create a Pull Request

🌐 MCP Ecosystem & Resources

For more information on the Model Context Protocol (MCP) ecosystem and relevant resources, visit:

By leveraging this template, developers can build robust, scalable, and compatible MCP servers that integrate seamlessly into the broader AI application landscape.

MCP Server Template